I discovered that a couple of my towels apparently got treated with fabric softener at one point: they have lost all absorbency (I never use softener but apparently someone in the household did). It is impossible to dry anything with them, they just push the water around.

What’s the best/easiest way to remove the vile stuff without damaging the towels?

  • yeehaw@lemmy.ca
    81·
    1 day ago

    I have never heard of this problem before and use fabric softener every time. What am I missing?

    • Ephera@lemmy.mlEnglish
      4·
      21 hours ago

      Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is the active ingredient in most fabric softeners. However, PDMS is a silicone oil that destroys absorbent properties.

      The oil in the fabric softener latches on to clothing and creates a coating. Towels absorb water, but oil repels it. When an oil coating attaches to a towel, it causes the fibers to become greasy and slippery, which hinders its absorbency. When the soapy residue of fabric softener builds up on the towel, it causes it to become stiff instead of soft.

      Source: https://www.towelsupercenter.com/blog/should-you-wash-towels-with-fabric-softener/

    • Wolf314159@startrek.website
      101·
      1 day ago

      Absorbent towels. I guess if you’d always used fabric softener, you’d never know how much more effective towels are when they haven’t been abused by fabric softener or drier sheets.